LAUSR

The Coronavirus disease‐2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic continues, and the death toll continues to surge. This meta‐analysis aimed to determine the efficacy of anakinra on mortality in patients with COVID‐19. A systematic search was made of PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and clinicaltrials.gov, without language restrictions. Randomized controlled trials on treatment of COVID‐19 with anakinra, compared with placebo or blank, were reviewed. Studies were pooled to risk ratios (RRs), with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Five Randomized controlled trials (enrolling 1859 participants) met the inclusion criteria. There was no statistically significant difference in 14‐day mortality (RR 0.78, 95% CI 0.43–1.39; P = 0.40), 28‐day mortality (RR 1.06, 95% CI 0.89–1.26; P = 0.51), and 90‐day mortality (RR 1.01, 95% CI 0.73–1.39; P = 0.97) between the two groups. Sensitivity analyses further confirmed these results. Anakinra was not associated with reduced mortality in hospitalised patients with COVID‐19. Anakinra probably should not be used routinely in COVID‐19 patients.